Buttigieg’s appearance on New Hampshire talk radio is raising eyebrows in the 2028 presidential election

A Friday morning appearance by Pete Buttigieg on New Hampshire talk radio is fueling ongoing speculation that the U.S. transportation secretary in President Biden’s administration may be considering a run for the White House again in 2028.

Buttigieg, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate seen as a potential contender in the next nomination race, has made numerous radio appearances across the country during his four years leading the Department of Transportation, including a series in New Hampshire, which is proud to be the transportation secretary his first presidential primary state in the nation.

But with President-elect Trump just a month away from returning to the White House and Democrats struggling to find a way out of the political wilderness after November’s election setbacks, Buttigieg’s latest radio appearance in New Hampshire is drawing increased attention as he is extremely dangerous The first preparations for the party’s presidential primaries in 2028 will begin soon.

And Buttigieg’s op-ed on the national morning news show New Hampshire Today is sure to spark more speculation about 2028.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks on Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, August 21, 2024. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

“The only thing that’s sure to come next is a little vacation,” Buttigieg said when asked by host Chris Ryan about his plans once his term as transportation secretary ends on Jan. 20.

Buttigieg said he and his spouse, Chasten, are “ready to spend some time together. “I’m ready to be with our three-year-old twins a little bit more, and I’m determined not to make any hasty life decisions in the new year.”

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“But I’m going to find ways to make myself useful, and maybe that’s running for office, maybe it’s not. It will take me the next few weeks and months to work through this,” Buttigieg said.

And he emphasized: “I know what’s important to me. It’s important to me that communities like the place where I grew up find a better future. I care about making sure technology makes us all better off, not worse off.” I I care about how the infrastructure issues and opportunities I’ve been working on can evolve. I care about our democracy and will find ways to work on it, no matter what form it takes.

President Joe Biden speaks alongside Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg (left) during a briefing on Hurricane Helene response and recovery efforts in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on October 1, 2024 in Washington, DC (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Buttigieg, a former Marine intelligence officer who served in the war in Afghanistan and was mayor of South Bend, Indiana, for eight years, was an underdog when he launched his 2020 presidential campaign.

But his campaign took off and he narrowly defeated Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and won the Iowa caucuses before finishing narrowly behind Sanders in the New Hampshire presidential primary. But Buttigieg dropped out of the race along with the rest of the Democrats and endorsed Biden as the former vice president won the South Carolina primary in a landslide, won the Super Tuesday contests and ultimately secured the nomination before winning the White House .

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During his tenure as transportation secretary, Buttigieg has made a number of official visits to New Hampshire, most recently earlier this year. And two years ago, he chaired the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s major fall fundraising gala as part of a political trip.

When asked in the interview if he would return to the Granite State in the near future, he quipped, “I’m sure I’ll show up again soon.”

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks at the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s Eleanor Roosevelt Dinner, the state party’s largest annual fundraiser, on September 24, 2022 in Manchester, NH (Democratic Party of New Hampshire)

Buttigieg has also appeared regularly on Fox News Channel in recent years to highlight the Biden administration’s efforts. This year, he served as a high-profile surrogate on Fox News and elsewhere in the media landscape for Biden and later for Vice President Kamala Harris on the campaign trail.

After his 2020 presidential campaign, Buttiegieg moved from the red state of Indiana to neighboring Michigan, a key battleground, and now makes his home in Traverse City, Michigan.

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In recent weeks, Buttigieg has fielded calls from some Michigan Democrats urging him to consider a run for governor in 2026 to succeed Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, whose term is limited.

“I haven’t made any big decisions about my future,” Buttigieg told reporters in Detroit earlier this month, a statement he would repeat in a radio interview in New Hampshire this week.